The trade made by the Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles eight days before the regular season when the Eagles sent Bradford to Minnesota as a replacement for the injured Teddy Bridgewater has reshaped the entire NFC through four games of the 2016 season. The deal has produced the conference's only unbeaten teams so far.

The Vikings, with Bradford providing a steadying influence on offense to complement a terrific Minnesota defense, improved to 4-0 by beating the New York Giants, 24-10, Monday night. The Eagles, who elevated rookie Carson Wentz to be their starter at quarterback after parting with Bradford, are 3-0 as they emerge from their bye week. The league's only other undefeated team, the defending-champion Denver Broncos, resides in the AFC.

The Bradford trade had the feel of being a win-win deal from the outset. But not everyone agreed. Some observers accused the Vikings of paying too steep a price for the often-injured Bradford by sending first- and fourth-round draft choices to Philadelphia.

What that supposition overlooked, though, was that Bradford is a very capable passer and that the Vikings had so many other pieces of a possible Super Bowl contender already in place.

What no one could know at the time, of course, was that the Vikings would lose more of those pieces. Tailback Adrian Peterson and left tackle Matt Kalil have joined Bridgewater in being out with significant injuries.

So while it is, in one sense, improbable what the Vikings are doing after watching their promising young quarterback, record-setting runner and most important pass blocker get hurt, it is all, in another way, relatively simple. Bradford is getting the job done, throwing the football accurately and avoiding mistakes. And that has been good enough with a defense as overpowering as Minnesota's.

The Broncos showed last season that it remains possible in today's pass-happy NFL for a defense-first team to win a Super Bowl. The Vikings are trying to follow that formula.

This Vikings' defense is superb. It includes a couple of defensive linemen in Linval Joseph and Everson Griffen who can be next to impossible to block. Safety Harrison Smith and linebacker Anthony Barr are play-making standouts. Xavier Rhodes has become a shutdown cornerback, registering an interception Monday while doing much of the work in limiting Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to three catches for 23 yards. Rhodes also became the latest Beckham opponent to prompt the star wideout's temper to flare.

The Vikings got contributions from all over Monday. Jerick McKinnon, who rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown, propelled their running game. They converted a muffed punt by the Giants' Dwayne Harris into a touchdown. Bradford threw for 262 yards and a touchdown on 26-for-36 passing accuracy. He has made three starts for the Vikings and is yet to throw an interception.

Is that enough to be in the Super Bowl mix? In the NFC, it probably is. Look around. There are no super-teams. The league's two most formidable-looking squads, the Broncos and New England Patriots, are in the AFC. The NFC is wide open. The two teams that played in last season's NFC title game, the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals, have matching 1-3 records. The conference is there for the taking. The Vikings already have beaten the Green Bay Packers, the Panthers and now the Giants.

The price that Minnesota paid for Bradford potentially could become steeper. In addition to the first-round pick in next year's draft that the Eagles will receive, the conditional fourth-rounder in 2018 included in the deal becomes a third-rounder if the Vikings reach this season's NFC championship game. It becomes a second-rounder if the Vikings win the Super Bowl.